Ampoule neck cutter



' 1948- L. A. PIERSON 2,447,988

AMPOULE NECK CUTTER Filed Jan. s, 1946 IN V EN TOR. Lows 14. P/EE50M TORNEYS.

Fatentecl Aug. 24, 1948 nmreo STATES PATENT OFFICE AMPOULENECK CUTTER L uis A. Pier n, Mer d nrqonnt Application January'3, 1946,v Serial No. 638,828

Claims. 1 This invention relates to devicesfor opening liquid filled glass ampoules, and particularly those with elongated necks and hermeticallysealed In the packing and'distributionof Dharmacal liquids for medicinal and hypodermic uses it is customary for the pharmacal packers'to fill the ampoules with the desired liquids and seal the same to prevent contamination and to facilitate the distribution thereof. These ampoules are carried by physicians for use when needed. These containers are relatively small, sufficient for one charge for a hypodermic syringe. It is most important that in the opening of-saidcontainersno contamination of the contents shall occur. It is necessary in opening the ampoules to breakuoff the neck'thereof. This is ordinarily accomplished by the operator using his two hands therefor,-and in such process the thin glass frequentlysplin-ters and sometimes cuts the hands from'whic-h'bloodmay mingle with the contents of the ampoule; and some of the contents may become contaminated from substance on t-he hand and flowback into the body of the liquid.

In some cases files and abrading elements; have been used to weaken the line around the necks of the ampoules to facilitate the breaking-along an even line around the neck but diificu lty is found in forming such line evenly around the necks; and contamination is sometimes carried by the files and elements upon the surface-of the ampoules which may enter the contents when opened. It is anobject of this invention to provide a toolthat will positively form an even abraded line around the neck of the ampoule .th-us insuringthat the ampoule tip will break off evenly about this abraded line.

A further object of the invention isto' provide an ampoule neck cutter tool that may beeasily sterilized in the same manner and at the, same .time as the hypodermic or any other medical or surgical tool, thus insuring against the cutter tool carrying any contamination to the ampoule or its contents.

A further object of this invention. is to provide an ampoule neck cutter tool which'may be held and operated by'one hand While the ampoule is manipulated thereon by the other handto provide;

a complete even abraded circle about the neck of the ampoule enabling the neck to be easily and safely broken off.

With these and other objects-tube hereinafter stated, I have illustratively exemplified my-v invem Fig. 2 is an elevational View, on a larger scale;

of cutter carrying lever-of the tool;

Fig. 3 is a side plan exploded view, partly in section, of the entire tool;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the anvil lever of the tool Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5of-Fig. 3, showing the cutterdetails, and

Fig, 6 is a sectional view .on line 6-45 of Fi 3, showing the anvil details.

There is shown at It the ampoule neckcu-tter tool of this invention. This invention include a cutter carrying lever ll having an extending boss l2 near one end adapted to be located in a correspondingly shaped aperture l3 in an anvil lever M. A shaft 15 anchored through transverse apertures it; in the anvil lever M and extending through an aligned transverse structure I! in the boss [2 servesto journal the two levers together. The anvil lever 14 is curved away at [8 between the journal shaft I5 and its adjacent end 20, thus permitting a limited separation of the anvil and cutter jaw ends of the levers, a pring 21 located in countersunk recesses 22 in the levers serving to normally hold the cutter and anvil jaw end in such separated position.

The anvil and cutter levers have their separated jaw ends shaped, as shown, with a pair of flats 23 and 24- separated by an angular recess 25 in the anvil lever and a similar recess 26 in the cutter lever. When the anvil and cutter jaw ends of levers H and I4 are brought together by pivoting them about the shaft l5, the sides of the angular recesses 25 and 26 together outline a square Whose sides are veryslightly greater than the outside diameter of the neck between the ampoule body 28 and its tip 30.

Reciprocably extending through the apex of the angular recess 26 .ofthe cutter jaw end of lever I l is a cutter plunger 31 about which is 19- cated coil spring 32 mounted between the back of the lever H and a thumb button 33 secured'on the outer end of the plunger 3|. The plunger 3! extends through a shaftway in the jaw end lever II- and terminates in the apex of angular recess 2'6',-where= it is reciproeably held by a pin-34 extending across a flat 35 formed in theside of the plunger 3i; thereby limiting-the reciprocation of the plunger 3i. The inner end of the plunger 3! terminates ina point 36 of substantially diamond hardness, either a commercial diamond or a material of-suitablehardness suchas tungsten carbide or other similar material, thus; in eifect, pro-- vi-dinga diamond point 36 suitable for cutting or abrading glass-.-

Inoperation, the cuttertool it] should be held in theleft handythe thumb resting on the thumb button 331 of plunger 3t directly above the plunger spring 32, with the anvil jaw end of lever M- resting on the index finger. The ampoule 28 is placed with its neck 21 between the jaw ends of the tool with the right hand. The left thumb is pressed to close the jaw ends securely about the ampoule neck 21, then the thumb is pressed a little harder, which will bring the diamond hard point 36 into abrading contact with the ampoule neck 21. The ampoule is rotated back and forth while the left thumb is pressed until it is felt that the diamond hard point 36 is cutting the glass of the ampoule neck 21, then the ampoule 28 is rotated completely around. This will cut a complete circle around the ampoule neck 21 and enable the ampoule tip 30 to be easily and safely broken off, without danger of cutting the fingers or contaminating the contents of the ampoule. The tool It) is of hard metal, preferably completely chromiumplated about the levers and button wherever it may be handled, and may be sterilized along with other surgical tools, thus preventing the tool from contaminating the ampoule neck.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, together with certain modifications thereof, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having described my invention 1 claim as new:

1. An ampoule neck cutter tool comprising a pair of levers pivoted together adjacent one end, yieldable means normally urging their other ends apart, recessed jaws formed on said other ends, the recesses in said jaws being of such size as to receive and loosely hold an ampoule neck therebetween when said jaws are squeezed together, a plunger reciprocably extending through one of said jaws into the recess therein, yieldable means normally urging said plunger away from the recess, thumb receiving means on said plunger for pressing said plunger against said yieldable means and into said recess, and a diamond hard glass cutting point provided on the plunger end within said recess, said first and second mentioned yieldable means being so constructed and arranged that by pressing on said thumb receiving means, the jaws are first squeezed together and thereafter upon continued pressing, the cutter point is moved further into the recess, whereby when an ampoule neck is held in the recesses between the pressed together jaws, the pressed-in plunger will cause its point to cut the ampoule neck as the ampoule neck is rotated.

2. An ampoule neck cutter tool comprising a pair of pivoted recessed jaws, yieldable means normally urging said jaws apart, the pressed together recesses of said jaws being adapted to receive and loosely hold an ampoule neck therein, a cutter plunger reciprocably extending through one of said jaws into said recess and means yieldably resisting the movement of said plunger into said recess, said first and second mentioned yieldable means being so constructed and arranged that by pressing on said plunger, said jaws are first squeezed together and thereafter upon continued pressing the cutter point is moved to contact the ampoule neck within the recess, to cut the ampoule neck as it is rotated within said recesses of said jaws.

3. An ampoule neck cutter tool comprising a pair of jaw members movably secured together, yieldable means normally urging said jaw members apart, at least one of said jaw members having an ampoule neck receiving recess therein, the pressed together jaw members being adapted to receive and loosely hold an ampoule neck in the recess, a cutter plunger reciprocably extending through one of said jaw members in alignment with the recess and means yieldably resisting the movement of said plunger into said recess, said first and second mentioned yieldable means being so constructed and arranged that by pressing on said plunger said jaw members are first squeezed together and thereafter upon continued pressing the cutter plunger is moved to contact and to cut the ampoule neck as it is rotated within the recess between said jaw members.

4. An ampoule neck cutter tool comprising a pair of jaw members movably secured together, yieldable means normally urging said jaw members apart, at least one of said jaw members having an ampoule neck receiving recess therein, the pressed together jaw members being adapted to receive and loosely hold an ampoule neck in the recess, a cutter plunger reciprocably extending through one of said jaw members in alignment with the recess, a substantially diamond hard cutter point mounted on the end of said cutter plunger and means yieldably resisting the movement of said plunger cutter point into said recess, said first and second mentioned yieldable means being so constructed and arranged that by pressing on said plunger, said jaw members are first squeezed together and thereafter upon continued pressing the cutter point is moved to contact the ampoule neck within the recess.

5. An ampoule neck cutter comprising a pair of lever arms, means intermediate their ends but somewhat adjacent one of their ends pivoting said arms together, means yieldably urging the other ends of said arms apart at least one of the adjacent faces of said one end of said arms being curved somewhat away from the other to permit limited movement of said other ends of said arms away from each other, said other ends of said lever arms each having a V recess extending laterally thereacross providing ampoule neck receiving upper and lower jaws, one of said jaws providing an anvil, a cutter point carrying plunger reciprocably extending through the apex of the V recess of the other of said jaws, means limiting the movement of said cutter point into and out of said jaw V recess, and yieldable means resisting the movement of said cutter point into said V recess, said first and second mentioned yieldable means being so constructed and arranged that by pressing on said cutter point carrying plunger, when an ampoule neck is placed in the V recess of the jaws, the jaws are first squeezed together to ampoule neck holding position and thereafter upon continued pressing the cutter point is moved to contact the ampoule neck within the V recess to cut the ampoule neck as the ampoule is rotated.

LOUIS A. PIERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,149 Lybeck Apr. 2, 1907 1,152,015 Fleming Aug. 31, 1915 2,199,807 Moreira May 7, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 33,821 France Au 21, 1928- 

